At Derby Women’s Centre, we are a leading provider of domestic violence support in the Derbyshire area.

Providing mental health support to women in Derby and Derbyshire is one of our key priorities

It has been a privilege to have supported so many women over the last four decades, providing hope for families and communities.

Join us on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday every month for a topical
coffee morning (Cafe Femme)

Every Thursday we run the Freedom Programme, primarily designed for
women as victims of domestic violence, we provide information not therapy

Derby Women's Swans Walking Group - The Second Friday of every month, join our Social Walking Group 10.15am - 13.00pm

Every 1st and 3rd Wednesday of every month we have a Knit and Natter event from 10.00am - 12.30pm, get creative and meet new people

Stress Factsheet

Stress can often be a response to mental or emotional pressure and in small doses, it can work well to motivate you (when working to a deadline, for example). If it becomes chronic, it can have negative effects on both mental and physical health, and can lead to mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression.

What Causes Stress?

Common causes of stress include ill health (especially for long term health conditions), bereavement, relationship difficulties or relationship breakdown, getting married, divorce, family estrangement, caring for relatives, moving house, disputes with neighbours, money problems including poverty and debt, problems at work, unemployment, starting a new job and retirement.

Stress can occur as a result of being under pressure, demanding situations and life changes. This does not need to be big factors; small changes can be just as much of a trigger if they happen one after another. Triggers can be one-off (such as moving house) or regular (such as bills or pressure at work).

Even supposedly “happy” things like getting married or having a baby can cause stress due to the changes that they bring.

Triggers can be individual and what causes stress for one person could be well tolerated by others and vice versa.

Physical Symptoms of Stress

Stress produces cortisol and adrenaline as part of the “fight or flight” response. If this stress is infrequent or a one off occurrence, these hormones and their effects will disappear once it is no longer an issue. Chronic stress encourages these hormones to be released on a very regular basis and can make you feel unwell.

This can produce a range of physical symptoms such as:

Fatigue

Headache

Stomach upset

Chest pain

Sweating

Indigestion/heartburn

Blurry eyesight

Insomnia or difficulty staying asleep

Grinding/clenching teeth

Loss of libido

Panic attacks

Hyperventilation/shallow breathing

Restlessness

Muscle tension

Stress can also affect the way that you behave, feel and think. These symptoms of stress can include:

Lack of concentration

Not being able to switch off

Racing thoughts

Eating too much or not eating enough

Finding it hard to make decisions

Avoiding situations that unnerve you e.g. social situations

Feeling irritable and snapping at people

Excessive drinking and/or smoking

Feeling tearful

Coping with Stress

You may not be able to prevent stress but you can find ways to manage it so that it doesn’t control you. This can include:

Learning relaxation techniques

Engaging in therapeutic activities

Mindfulness

Exercise

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) can help with stress and anxiety. This is designed to break down the often vicious cycle between your thoughts, feelings and behaviour so that a negative reaction to situations does not cause unnecessary stress. CBT can help you to recognise whether your responses to particular situations are helpful or whether they are actually the worst case scenario. Unhelpful thinking can lead to more stress and anxiety but CBT can teach you how to tackle this.

How Derby Women’s Centre Can Help

Here at Derby Women’s Centre, we offer a few services that can help with stress and anxiety. Our one-to-one counselling is an opportunity to talk through issues in a non judgement and confidential environment and is CBT based so it can also help with negative thought patterns. We also have the Phoenix Group, a mental health self support group and a range of therapeutic activities throughout the year such as crafts and arts based workshops.